Underrated Books; Day Five!

A huge thank you to everyone who has participated in this fun week all about the book love. 

I've had so much fun looking at everyone's book and author choices and even adding a few books to my reading pile, not that it needed any help but oh well right? :P

I thought I would end the week with my top choices for those books that I just couldn't get enough of and wish I could make everyone read. 

First up, The 19th Year series by Emi Gayle. This series is just so much fun and I discovered it when it first was released back in 2012 when the publishing company asked me to read and review the first book. I never looked back after that, I was hooked. 

Book Description:

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn't know will probably kill her. In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she'll be for the rest of her life. She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it's her birthright. To Mac, it's a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours. Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists-which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class, figures out there's more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge. In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

I know I've talked about this series before but only because it is a favorite and I really do wish I could make everyone try the first book because I just know they would fall in love with it too after reading it. It has been so much fun getting to know these quirky characters and fans of the Charley Davidson series need to meet them. I'm so glad this series is still going strong.

Book Description:

Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota. Fearing her daughter might be next, single mom, Violet Parker, is desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. With her savings dwindling and just three weeks left to sell her first house or lose her Realtor job, Violet is ecstatic when a handsome jeweler hires her to sell his century-old, Victorian masterpiece, until she sees the dilapidated dwelling. Now, if she could just convince her only buyer to stop rejecting vintage homes as if they're haunted. Short on time and long on worry, she refuses to give up her dream of a fresh start in Deadwood. But with a malicious coworker trying to get her fired, a secret admirer sending her creepy messages, and a sexy stranger hiding skeletons in his closet, will Violet end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed? 

Another great series that I wish more people knew about. This series always makes me laugh and as I've gotten older I've discovered that I really appreciate being able to have a good time while reading. There is just something about those books that can leave you smiling that you have to love.

Book Description:

Opal Fire is a paranormal mystery with a splash of romance and a helping of humor. 

Stacy Justice did not expect to be set on fire that night, but being raised by witches prepares one for life's little surprises. In fact, she isn't the least bit shocked when her cousin is accused of arson, or when her divorced grandparents sign up for a marriage retreat, or even when her own boyfriend hauls her off to jail. But when a decades-old secret is discovered within the walls of her cousin's bar, even Stacy is rattled. Now, someone wants her dead and she finds herself dodging angry motorists, exploding chickens and a very creepy man who lurks around every corner. As she begins to dig up the past, Stacy learns that even those closest to her have something to hide--and she's about to discover a destiny she never imagined.

So this one isn't quite underrated as the others since it does have over 1000 reviews on Goodreads but I do think it is one of those series that needs more attention either way because it is fantastic and since it has been finished for a few years now, probably one most historical fans that are new to the genre might not know about. Plus is has a slight paranormal edge that is hard to resist. 

This author is fantastic and her spin off series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine as well. 

Book Description:

"LET THE WICKED BE ASHAMED, AND LET THEM BE SILENT IN THE GRAVE."

These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests.

Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a long-standing physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that Sir Edward has been murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers the damning paper for herself, and realizes the truth.

Determined to bring her husband's murderer to justice, Julia engages the enigmatic Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's demise. Dismissing his warnings that the investigation will be difficult, if not impossible, Julia presses forward, following a trail of clues that lead her to even more unpleasant truths, and ever closer to a killer who waits expectantly for her arrival.

If you love a good, well written story all about the anti-hero, then you need to meet Meda. I freaking love her and still think about this series even though it has been years since I've read it. 

Book Description:

Meet Meda. She eats people.

Well, technically, she eats their soul. But she totally promises to only go for people who deserve it. She’s special. It’s not her fault she enjoys it. She can’t help being a bad guy. Besides, what else can she do? Her mother was killed and it’s not like there are any other “soul-eaters” around to show her how to be different. That is, until the three men in suits show up.

They can do what she can do. They’re like her. Meda might finally have a chance to figure out what she is. The problem? They kind of want to kill her. Before they get the chance Meda is rescued by crusaders, members of an elite group dedicated to wiping out Meda’s kind. This is her chance! Play along with the “good guys” and she’ll finally figure out what, exactly, her ‘kind’ is.

Be careful what you wish for. Playing capture the flag with her mortal enemies, babysitting a teenage boy with a hero complex, and trying to keep one step ahead of a too-clever girl are bad enough. But the Hunger is gaining on her.

The more she learns, the worse it gets. And when Meda uncovers a shocking secret about her mother, her past, and her destiny… she may finally give into it. 

Sarah Fine is an amazing author and I could recommend almost all of her series to you but this one, this duology is one that is seriously underrated. It is a play on the classic Phantom of the Opera and it is fabulous. Set in a steampunk world, it is pretty hard to resist. 

Book Description:

There are whispers of a ghost in the slaughterhouse where sixteen-year-old Wen assists her father in his medical clinic—a ghost who grants wishes to those who need them most. When one of the Noor, men hired as cheap factory labor, humiliates Wen, she makes an impulsive wish of her own, and the Ghost grants it. Brutally.

Guilt-ridden, Wen befriends the Noor, including their outspoken leader, a young man named Melik. At the same time, she is lured by the mystery of the Ghost and learns he has been watching her... for a very long time.

As deadly accidents fuel tensions within the factory, Wen must confront her growing feelings for Melik, who is enraged at the sadistic factory bosses and the prejudice faced by his people at the hand of Wen’s, and her need to appease the Ghost, who is determined to protect her against any threat—real or imagined. She must decide whom she can trust, because as her heart is torn, the factory is exploding around her... and she might go down with it.

Again who doesn't love a good villain, especially a story told from their POV? I loved this, I can't even begin to explain why other than I loved the uniqueness of it and while you might have heard of it, for some reason still very few people have reviewed it on Goodreads. So, if you love a good thriller told from the anti-hero, no plain up, the villain of the story, read this. You won't regret it. 

Book Description:

"The truth is I hurt people. It's what I do. It's all I do. It's all I've ever done." 

He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him. 

What you don't know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he's carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he's holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her. 

This is how it's been for a long time. It's normal... and it works. Perfectly. 

Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24-hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room... the others. He doesn't need any of them anymore. He needs only her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem—he still has someone trapped in his garage. 

Discovering his humanity couldn't have come at a worse time.

A lot of people have heard of this author but have you heard of this series? I read the first book and fell in love with it and was so bummed that the second book wasn't out in the states yet. Waiting was agonizing but when it finally came out I read it and loved it every bit as much as the first. It was so much fun. Set in a dystopian world, it was creepy good with how realistic it could seem at times. I loved it. 

Book Description:

What if a microchip could identify your perfect match? What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?

Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loved most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it.

Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer—heir to the M-Corp empire—has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for? 

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking.

I could probably go on forever with recommendations but for now, these are my top choices. All of these are wonderful books and all of them seriously need more people to read them and rave (hopefully in a good way) about them. 

Hope you found something this week that interested you and most importantly that you will read and love.

Again, a huge thank you to everyone that has participated, either through the blog posts or comments!! I love this community and am so glad I am a part of it. :D